Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 16:34:52 -0800 (PST)
From: Corrinne S <quasito_cat@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Red Orb of Pern - Part Eleven

The Red Orb of Pern

M.C. Gordon

Disclaimer is attached to the beginning of this
series.  This is fan fiction written for a friend who
enjoys Anne McCaffrey's Pern as much as I do.
Comments welcome to quasito_cat@hotmail.com or
quasito_cat@yahoo.com

Chapter 33

   Benden Weyr, barely coming to grips with the
initial three deaths, was plunged deeper into despair
as others began dying.  The dragons, sensing that
their riders were dying, went `between' and the
fighting wings were greatly depleted.  The loss of
Fenely had been the last thing the weyr could bear.

   "I'll go see what's holding Andren up," Julani said
a few moments later, handing M'chell a cup of wine.

   The dragon rider accepted it gratefully for his
nerves and emotions had been raw for days.  Davis,
already ill, had taken the news of his twin's death
very hard and had lost his will to live.  M'chell and
L'ydel were hopeful that Andren's presence would help
the child.

   Sipping slowly at the wine, he glanced around the
room.  The common dining area that served both Healer
and Harper Halls was very large.  An enormous
fireplace occupied one end of the room, providing heat
during the cold winter months.  At the opposite end,
the largest tapestry M'chell had ever seen covered an
entire wall.

   The pattern was intricate, the colors vivid.  The
dragon rider wouldn't begin to guess what part of
Pern's early history was woven across the pallet of
the fabric.  Even the style was different from the
tapestries that graced the walls of Benden Weyr.  This
one didn't have dragons or fire lizards.  There was no
Red Star on the horizon or Thread falling.  Instead,
it concerned itself with men and women in white
tunics.  They seemed to be surrounded by clear glass
objects partially filled with liquid.  One of the men
held an unusually shaped piece of red glass and below
the picture, in delicate script, was written: 'All
Knowledge Lies Here'.

Chapter 34

   "There has to be a reason why we're not affected,"
Andren said days later.  "People are dying all over
Pern.  Why aren't we even sick?"

   The four childhood friends hashed and re-hashed a
question that had reared its head more than once.

   "Tomin finally admitted that he'd been to that old
cave we found years ago," M'chell said.  "But we
didn't find anything dangerous."

   "We only went down one passage," L'del remarked.
"I seem to remember that it branched off in several
directions.  Maybe he and his friends took a different
path."

   "Adelmisa, Lurah, and I have been through every old
record -- back to the beginning of Benden Weyr -- and
haven't found any reference to the cave," Julani
added.  "Do you really think it holds the answer?"

   "It has to," Andren replied.  "Tomin, Danel, and
Lesl were the first three who got sick and the disease
hit them a lot harder than it did anyone else.  Davis
spent the night close to him and he hasn't reached the
paralysis stage yet."  He choked back tears as he
thought of the twelve-year boy barely clinging to
life.  "They must have come across something that made
them sick."

   "So why aren't any of us sick yet?" M'chell asked.
"Tomin was with us a good part of that first night.
Even if we didn't come across the same thing they did
in the cave, exposure to him should have given us the
illness."

   "I don't know," Andren admitted.  "I've sent all
the information I could find to the Masterhealer."

   The day had been long and tiring, as all days were
lately.  The Weyrs, all of whom had lost riders and
dragons, had banded together in an attempt to continue
protecting the fragile planet from her ancient enemy.
M'chell and L'del had flown their dragons against
Thread every day and it was beginning to wear them
down.  Andren, with Julani at his side, worked
diligently to administer to the sick and dying.  The
hard days, unbearable stress, and lack of true rest
began taking its toll on the four young men.  Yet they
gathered together every evening to discuss the problem
and bounce questions and answers back and forth.

   "We've got to beat this thing!" M'chell finally
announced.  "We lost Tomin.  He might have been an
aggravating troublemaker, but L'del and I loved him.
I'll be damned if we lose Davis."

   He stomped from his weyr and summoned Raganth.  A
ride across the night sky with his dragon would clear
his mind, he was sure of it.

Chapter 35

   The mighty golden dragon launched himself from the
ledge with his powerful legs.  His tremendous wings
caught an updraft and he soared higher and higher over
Benden Weyr.

   "I wish to help the boy," Raganth whispered to his
rider.  "He feels a terrible sadness at the death of
the other boy.  Do all humans feel loss as much as
dragons do?" he asked.

   "Yes," M'chell answered.  "We feel it quite deeply.
 We've both lost a lot lately," he added.  He didn't
know how he would have survived the pain of Tomin's
death without Raganth for the dragon, fierce in
appearance and deadly against Thread, had comforted
him as he and L'del had comforted each other.

   "We should go to the cave," Raganth said.

   "In the morning," M'chell replied.  "Right now I
just want to get away from everything."

   Raganth forebore going between and flew straight
east.  He flew relatively low and M'chell could see
the lights at Benden, Lemos, and Bitra Holds.  This
was why dragons fought Thread, he thought as he and
Raganth glided across Benden Hold's pastures.  Below
them ran the thoroughbred runnerbeasts first bred by
Holder Alessan.

   "They think I want to eat them," the golden dragon
said.  "I don't like runnerbeast.  Herdbeasts are much
tastier."

   Raganth's remark caused his rider to smile.  "I'll
pass that on to Holder Morel," he said.  "I'm sure
he'll be relieved to hear that his runnerbeasts are
safe."

   "Is your mind clear now?  Can we go back to the
weyr?" Raganth asked.  "I'm sleepy and Ammorth says
L'del is worried about you."

Chapter 36

   "You're kidding," Julani said the next morning.
"You want to go back to that cave?"

   "The answer's there, it has to be," M'chell
answered.  "Even if it's not, I'm not going to pass up
anything that might explain this damned illness and
maybe, just maybe, save Davis and everyone else.  If
you don't want to go with me, fine.  I'll go by
myself."

   "We'll go," Andren said.  "You might be right; the
answer could be there.  I just need to let Lurah know
that we'll be gone for a little while.  I'm running
dangerously low on people who can help with the
patients.  N'tan and S'vern were helping but now
they're down with this thing."

   Julani found some small glowbaskets while the two
dragon riders located a few hide bags, just in case
they found anything that needed to go to Master
Benaren.  They were waiting on the ledge of the weyr
with Raganth and Ammorth when Andren returned.

   "We'd better go fast," he said.  "And I hope you're
right, M'chell, `cause now Lurah's taken ill."

   The small weyr was plunged into an even deeper
feeling of doom.  Lurah was the woman who had raised
them; sat with them during their simple colds and
fevers; chided them gently when the got into mischief;
brought them bubbly pies for breakfast.  L'del raised
his left hand to his face, to hide the tears that were
forming.  Julani dropped the glowbasket he was holding
and it rolled across the floor, coming to rest against
the leg of a table.  Andren reached for his friend
with trembling hands, making no attempt to hold back
his tears.

   M'chell's eyes darted around the weyr, looking at
nothing in particular, as he tried to control his
breathing which was now coming in short shallow gasps.
 "I WILL NOT, WILL NOT, lose another person I love!"
he shouted to the walls.  He curled his right hand
into a fist and smacked it against his left palm.  He
released his emotions as anger, not having time to
indulge in the fear and heartache he felt.

   "Sonath is sad that the lady is ill," Raganth said
to his rider.  "Hanmath says the Weyrwoman is crying.
All of the dragons want to help," he continued.
Raganth and Ammorth's great eyes were swirling in
shades of red.

   "Then what are we waiting for?" M'chell asked.

   L'del quickly mounted Ammorth and Julani scrambled
behind him while Andren joined M'chell on Raganth.
The gold, then the bronze dragons lifted themselves
from the ledge and flew the young men to the top of
Benden Weyr.

   "Looks like we'll be needing your help," M'chell
said as he surveyed the entrance to the large cavern.
"The boys managed to make a small opening, but dragons
can move boulders faster than people can."

   Raganth and Ammorth willingly applied themselves to
digging away at the remainder of the boulders blocking
the entrance.

   "Watch it!" Julani shouted as one large boulder
flew past him, barely missing his head.

   Within moments, the entrance was cleared.  "You and
Ammorth wait here," M'chell told his golden dragon.
"There's not enough room inside for you."

   Opening their glowbaskets, the four men entered the
cave they had discovered ten turns earlier.